As Astros fade, Mills shakes things up in infield (w/lineups)

ST. LOUIS — Manager Brad Mills said on Tuesday that when the team was going bad, the Astros were going to have to play their hot bats.

This week, that’s applied more than anywhere to a pair of infield positions.

Chris Johnson, hitting .208 with a 24.8 percent strikeout rate, didn’t start either game in Atlanta, and now Bill Hall, at .230 with a 34.3 percent strikeout rate, is out of the starting lineup for the second straight day.

Angel Sanchez replaces Hall with Hall being 1-for-15 lifetime with no walks and three strikeouts against Kyle Lohse.